Updated July 25 2017
The Morehead City Marlins had the bases loaded with two outs in the top half of the ninth inning trailing by two runs, but come up short in a tough 6-4 decision to the host Holly Springs Salamanders from Ting Stadium Tuesday evening.
Morehead City is now 19-23 overall and 6-8 in the second half. Holly Springs improves to 20-25 overall and 9-8 in the second half of the 2017 campaign. The Marlins hit the road again tomorrow night, traveling to Hampton, Va. to face the Peninsula Pilots from War Memorial Stadium. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.
Marlins shortstop Nick Podkul (Notre Dame) led the MHC offensive efforts, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. First baseman Kyle Skeels (Coastal Carolina) continued his hot bat posting an identical 2-for-3 mark with two RBIs, while catcher Mark Castellucci (Univ. of Montevallo) went 2-for-4 with one run scored.
For Holly Springs, Dalton Hoiles (Shippensburg) led all batters with four RBIs in the contest, finishing 1-for-4 at the plate. Peyton Isaacson (Coastal Carolina) went 2-for-2 with one run scored, while Adam Sisk (James Madison) compiled a 2-for-3 effort at the plate.
The Salamanders struck first on a RBI fielder’s choice from Hoiles to give Holly Springs an early 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning. The hosts tallied two more runs in the home half of the second when Mark Collela (Seton Hill) scored on a stolen base followed by a RBI single from Tripp Shelton (UNC Greensboro), putting the Salamanders in front 3-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Skeels tallied his 11th RBI in three games with a single to trim the deficit down to 3-1 before a three-run homer from Hoiles put the Salamanders up 6-1 in the bottom half of the fifth.
Both teams were held scoreless until the top of the eighth inning when the Marlins posted three unanswered runs to cut the margin down to 6-4. Podkul ripped a two-RBI double to make it 6-3 followed by a run-scoring single from Skeels to put the Fish within two runs.
The Marlins loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth inning before Salamanders right-handed pitcher Michael Hope (Shippensburg) recorded the backwards K to secure the two-run victory and his sixth save of the season.
Holly Springs righty starting pitcher Cam Colmore (East Carolina) got the win, improving to 4-0. Morehead City starting lefty Heath Mitchem (Catawba) took the loss, falling to 2-4. Marlins righty reliever Kip DeShields (Youngstown State) tossed two innings of scoreless relief with no hits allowed and three strikeouts to keep the Marlins in the contest.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 22nd season in 2018, the CPL features 16 teams playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had over 1,450 alumni drafted and 111 of those – including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander – make their Major League debut; while another notable alum – Russell Wilson – won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com and follow us via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball..Contact:Jackson Kaplan
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